Monthly Archives: August 2020

Terminating a rental agreement is not necessarily complicated – however the process is often surprising to tenants and as an owner, it is very useful to have an experienced Property Manager working on your behalf. Congratulations on your home purchase! Kudos to you on your job promotion and location change! Very exciting for tenants, these are the two most common reasons tenants ask to terminate their lease early. The first thing to keep in mind as a tenant is communication! If you receive a job promotion that will require a change of location, make sure to discuss with your Property Manager as soon as possible. If you are interested in purchasing a home, talk to your Property Manager about your options BEFORE making the purchase. Certainly avoid purchasing a home in the middle of your lease. Otherwise you will likely find yourself paying rent and your new mortgage. The second thing to keep in mind is that a Property Manager works for the owner. They should always be operating with the best interest of the owner in mind. At Crosstown Properties we utilize several measures to ensure the best outcome for the owner first and foremost and tenant where possible. With nearly two decades of experience, we know that when a tenant calls asking to terminate their lease early they are most likely going to leave no matter what. This is especially true in the case of a job promotion or purchasing a home. That being said most tenants also understand that they are asking a favor of the owner to terminate their lease early and are more than happy to do so according to the terms of their lease. The Texas Realtors lease that we use at Crosstown Properties has provisions for terminating a lease early in Paragraph 28. Leases are terminated under this paragraph only at the owner’s discretion if certain conditions are met by the tenant. These conditions include but are not limited to:

In our leases Paragraph 28 always specifies that the tenant must pay a re-letting fee (one months rent) and give a definite move-out date so that we can market the property as soon as possible. It is in the best interest of the owner and the tenant that we find new tenants as soon as possible.

Tenants will be responsible for paying full rent until a new tenant is found, must keep the utilities on in their name and also maintain the lawn.

Further, any replacement lease must end in March April May March April May or June – a strategy that minimizes vacancy.

Considering that tenants who ask to terminate their lease early will almost always leave, we recommend that the owner allow implementation of Paragraph 28. This way the owner receives at least the one months rent reletting fee and more than likely the rent paid through the beginning of another lease. Not implementing paragraph 28 can be risky – for the owner and the tenant. If not provided a legal option to terminate early, the tenant will likely abandon the property. This leaves the owner not receiving the re-letting fee or rent while the property is vacant and the tenant owing rent for which they can be sent to collections. Paragraph 28 is almost always a win-win option for everyone. We generally find a new tenant in 30-60 days so the owner receives rent as normal with limited interruptions and the tenant is able to end their lease many months before the contract end date – all parties are happy!!! People often find us by searching “property management Austin,” “rental home management austin, tx,” “property manager near me,” and “property management companies austin, tx.” We’d love to hear how you found us!

If you own investment property, hiring a property manager that is exceptionally attentive and highly experienced is excellent insurance against upset tenants and high turnover. At Crosstown Properties, we strive to expertly maintain every property and to quickly resolve tenant issues at no cost to the tenant or owner where possible. Repairs at no cost to anyone? Enter our Triage System for Repair Requests, developed over nearly two decades of industry experience. Do you know how to shut off the water to your house? What does GFI stand for? Does your dishwasher have a power switch on the wall? If you own the house you live in, these questions are likely things you can handle yourself no problem. Many tenants however are not familiar with these basic issues of living in a house. They often submit repair requests for problems that they can fix themselves with a little guidance. We keep a list of commonly requested items that tenants can easily fix themselves, saving time and money. Step 1: Repair Request is submitted by a tenant. We give it a good read and determine if it is one of these items. Step 2: We respond with guidance on how to easily fix the issue. Step 3: Tenant issue resolved quickly at no cost to them. Step 4: Improved tenant experience increasing likelihood of a renewal, minimizing vacancy and loss to the owner during. Several examples of tenant issues that can be quickly resolved at no cost to tenant or owner if the property manager is attentive and knowledgeable:

• Dishwasher Has No Power: Often tenants do not realize that many dishwashers are controlled by a power switch on the wall. So one of the first things that we will do if we get a repair request like this, is respond to the tenant and tell them to find the power switch on the wall that does not control a light fixture. Flip it on and see if that takes care of the problem. 99% of the time it does.

• Outlets Are Not Working: When electrical outlets by the kitchen sink or in the bathroom stop working, it is almost always an issue with the Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI). We respond to the tenant explaining what a GFI is, examples of where they can find the GFI outlet, and instructions on how to reset the GFI themselves.

• Disposal Is Not Working: Our pre-built instructions for how to fix a faulty disposal discuss several common issues. If the disposal is humming but the blades are not turning, then it is almost always simply jammed. If it is not humming/ running at all, then two things have happened. The disposal has been jammed and the breaker that is built into the bottom of the disposal itself (usually a little red button that says breaker) has popped. This shuts down the disposal so that the disposal does not burn out. Our instructions explain all of this to the tenant so that they can determine the problem. We also provide specific instructions on how to clear the jam.

Our Triage System for Repair Requests has saved many tenants money and heartache waiting without functioning electrical outlets in the kitchen for a simple fix like resetting the GFI. We believe that being highly alert and attentive to the details of Repair Requests allows us to resolve tenant issues as quickly as possible and to provide excellent care to every property we manage. Happy tenants often decrease turnover which keeps money in our client’s pockets! People often find us by searching “property management Austin,” “rental home management austin, tx,” “property manager near me,” and “property management companies austin, tx.” We’d love to hear how you found us!